Filmmaker Documents a Bristol Stop on Route 6

While I've always tried to get my kicks on Route 66, Route 6 has some nice views, too.

The coast-to-coast interstate highway is the second longest in the nation. The longest one is Route 20.

I learned all this from Rachel Carey, a filmmaker with plenty of credentials (Yale and NYU for starters) who is making a documentary about Route 6.

Maybe she just wants an excuse to make a cool road trip, but what the heck. She's going to show us all some sights and sounds along the way.

One of them will be the tick, tock, tick, tock at the American Clock and Watch Museum, one of my favorite spots in Bristol. I bet after she finishes her documentary, this charming little clock museum might become more popular than ESPN.

ESPN, incidently, while not exactly camera shy, is not even close to Route 6 and so they lost out on this one. I hope they can cope with defeat. They're really not used to it.

The filmmaker promised to send me the trailer for the movie when she gets that far along in the project. When I get it, I promise to share. She's being supported, at least morally, if not financially, by the non-profit Route 6 Tourist Association. That's their logo at the top of this post. The clock is, of course, on Maple Avenue in front of the museum. It's also on the museum's website, www.clockandwatchmuseum.org.

Carey was filming today in the clock museum, interviewing Don Muller, the executive director, who was definitely looking his best for the camera. If he ever gets tired of the museum, he might consider going on camera for ESPN, since he can lord it over them that he's in the Route 6 documentary and they're not. The Mark Twain House in Hartford (another awesome Connecticut jewel) also made the director's cut.

This might be a good time to suggest that if you haven't ever visited the clock museum, don't wait to be lured by the Route 6 documentary. Go now. Same deal for the Twain house.

I wrote about all this, of course, for The Bristol Press. I think it might be in Wednesday's paper, but I don't really know. The story has more details about the film and the highway, but none of the 'tude here. When they use it, you can see it at www.bristolpress.com.

Time to Say Thank You

Here's Chris Bailey, the longtime curator of the American Clock and Watch Museum. He's retired now, but a whole pile of people showed up on Saturday to wish him well. He's shown in this photo by Bristol Press photographer Mike Orazzi in the gallery that the museum recently named after him.
Very cool. I'm sure from his perspective that it was a lot nicer to get in his retirement than a gold watch...
I've known Chris since he came back to work at the museum for the second 15 years of his 30 years there. That was in 1995. He is a dear man, gracious, helpful and full of knowledge and more than willing to share it. He's really busy, but he's always had time for me.
This guy is a walking encyclopedia, not only about clocks, but about clockmakers and a lot of Bristol history.
Before his retirement, Chris finished work on a terrific history of the museum called Fifty Years of Time, The First 50 Years of the American Clock & Watch Museum. It was good of him to get a lot of that important information down for posterity, and to help his successor, Mary Jane Dapkus, as she finds her footing as the new curator.
There are a few copies for sale at the museum gift shop, and also some charming commemorative tee shirts with Chris' picture on them.
Chris himself has an interesting story, and I wrote about him for Monday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com)

Clock Museum Offers Tips on Clock Care

This in from the American Clock and Watch Museum:

On Saturday, May 22nd, the American Clock & Watch Museum, 100 Maple Street, Bristol, CT, will be conducting a demonstration about the care and maintenance of clocks. Beginning at 11 a.m., this hour-long class will address the important aspects of keeping a treasured timepiece in working order. A member of the museum will talk about the proper care of timepieces and demonstrate what must be done in order keep them running properly. This program is included in the price of admission. Please call the museum to register 860-583-6070.

Clock Museum Offers Clock ID

On Saturday, the clock museum will take a peek at your American made timepiece and give you some information about it, for a small fee. Here's what the museum sent about it:

The American Clock & Watch Museum, 100 Maple Street, Bristol, CT, has announced the date for its upcoming clock identification. The clock identification will be held on Saturday, April 10th from 10-12. Patrons will be guided by our staff to discover information about one special American-made clock. A fee of $10.00 will be charged for one clock evaluation. Additional clocks, up to a maximum of three, will be evaluated for a fee of $5 per clock. For more information about this event, contact the museum (860-583-6070) or consult the website www.clockandwatchmuseum.org